Mood & Mental Health

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Study

Expectations May Explain Psilocybin Beating an Antidepressant

Expectations May Explain Psilocybin Beating an Antidepressant

Psilocybin mushrooms

What they found

Participants expected 60% improvement from psilocybin versus 23% from escitalopram, and psilocybin only outperformed when escitalopram expectations were low.

Participants expected 60% improvement from psilocybin versus 23% from escitalopram, and psilocybin only outperformed when escitalopram expectations were low.

The number

expected 60% improvement from psilocybin, but only 23% from escitalopram

How solid is it?

Early human

Early human

Human – RCT

Human – RCT

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Compound

psilocybin; escitalopram

psilocybin; escitalopram

Published in

JAMA Network

JAMA Network

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Treatment Expectations for Depression

Treatment Expectations for Depression

An analysis of psilocybin vs. escitalopram found that participants expected 60% improvement from psilocybin, but only 23% from escitalopram. When participants had low expectations of escitalopram, psilocybin worked significantly better. However, both treatments performed similarly for those with high escitalopram expectations. The findings suggest previous reports of psilocybin's superiority may be specific to individuals with low faith in conventional treatments.

An analysis of psilocybin vs. escitalopram found that participants expected 60% improvement from psilocybin, but only 23% from escitalopram. When participants had low expectations of escitalopram, psilocybin worked significantly better. However, both treatments performed similarly for those with high escitalopram expectations. The findings suggest previous reports of psilocybin's superiority may be specific to individuals with low faith in conventional treatments.

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